‘There is no real struggle against child labor, all they do is publicity’

* Photos: AA

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The members of the Parliamentary Child Subcommission went to Turkey's Black Sea province of Ordu to make observations about child labor last week. The members of the subcommission visited temporary lodgings arranged as part of the Project for Improving the Working and Social Lives of Seasonal Migratory Agricultural Workers (METİP).

Among these members was also Mahmut Tanal, the İstanbul MP of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). Tanal was accompanied by Commission Chair and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Kocaeli MP Radiye Sezer Katırcıoğlu and other members.

While Ordu Governor Tuncay Sonel was also with the group, they visited the workers in Saraycık Neighborhood in Altınordu district.

'It was an imposition by MHP and AKP'

Speaking to bianet about the visit and child labor in Turkey, Tanal says that he was the only opposition MP among the delegation, which was because the visit was planned without asking anyone:

"This invitation for the visit was an imposition. It was an imposition by the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and AK Party MPs. Only my schedule was available for the visit. Because the time was set without asking us about it. No joint decision was taken. 'We have made a decision, if you want to come, then come, if you don't, then don't,' they said.

'There is no METİP in Ankara, so they took us to Ordu'

"And they picked a place as far away as Ordu. In fact, there is Polatlı just next to us. There are agricultural fields very close to Ankara.

"Why didn't we go there? The reason is quite simple: There are no those places that they call METİP. They made preparations beforehand and made a presentation to the public here. In fact, there is no will to face child labor, we were taken to the pilot area for publicity."

'State does not spend even a single penny'

Indicating that some seasonal agricultural workers who came to the city to harvest hazelnuts stay in the METİPs, Tanal shares the following information about the project, which is supported by UNICEF:

"It is a project financed by the UN's UNICEF. The state or the governor's office does not spend a single penny. It is not even controlled by the Court of Accounts. They spend as they wish.

"While children are supposed to be at school, they come from Urfa and neighboring provinces in late March or early April to work.

"Students go to 74 provinces across Turkey. The total number is 16 thousand, including primary and secondary school students. The Governor's Office of Şanlıurfa has both these records and information about how many children will go to how many provinces.

'Children not staying there are miserable'

"We visited the children staying in the METİPs under the supervision of international organizations, so UNICEF. Normally, these tents should be handed out by the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) and Red Crescent, but workers buy them with their own money. They have fenced an empty space, there are toilets and baths for women and men. Hot water is sometimes not enough, they have to boil water in cauldrons.

"Yes, in areas where there is a METİP, children are at least supported with their education. But the real problem is this: The ones not staying in METİP tents. Not the ones working along the coastline, but the ones working in districts away from there are miserable. They did not take us there. I said that we should go there, too, but we did not.

"There are several camps between Fatsa and İslamdağ, children are miserable. As some camps are set up on stream beds, they are more risky. If you want to face real child labor, we should have gone to those places. They want to hide the problems of child workers from the public."

'They are deprived of education for months'

Aside from improving the conditions of child workers, child labor under the age of 15 is forbidden, Tanal reminds us, concluding his words as follows: 

"It has become legitimate. Even though the state knows it, all of them are without insurance. These children start working in late March or early April. They harvest watermelons, onions, potatoes and hazelnuts until late October or early November. They are deprived of education for three-four months." (AÖ/SD)